We bring trees inside and decorate them. We eat ham, turkey or beef, we kiss under mistletoe and give each other presents. But why, and where do these traditions come from? In part one of a new series examining Christmas traditions, we look at some of these traditions to uncover why they exist today.

Yule Logs and Fairy Lights

Many families enjoy a chocolate cake at Christmas time, often made in the shape of a log, and known as a Yule Log. (In Devon and Somerset in England, the Yule log was also known as a Great Ashen Faggot). Originally a Yule log was a tree branch, usually oak for its properties of slow burning with great heat.

When the log fire expired, a piece of the log was kept for luck and as kindling to start the next Yule fire. Red candles are often placed along the a Yule cake to represent flames. The candles moved to the Christmas tree, but have now been surpassed by fairy lights.

Christmas Stars

It is a common practice to place a large star at the top of a Christmas Tree. Some believe it represents the light of the sun, however a more common interpretation is that it is a symbolic representation of the nativity star that guided the three wise men to baby Jesus.

Kissing under the Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that commonly grows on deciduous trees. It has leathery evergreen leaves and waxy white berries. It was often combined with other evergreens to create "kissing bushes" that were hung in rooms where people would frequently pass each other. Young men had the privilege of kissing girls if they both passed beneath the bush. A berry would be plucked from the bush for each encounter, and when all the berries were picked, the privilege ended.

Mistletoe was an important plant in the folklore of Celts, Roman and Greeks - often being attributed magical properties (such as ensuring the fertility of cattle). Yet the kissing custom originates from a Norse myth, concerning the goddess Frigg and her love for her son Balder.

It appears Frigg was an overprotective mother, and from her fear that harm would come to her son, she secured promises from everything in the world that they would never harm her son. Everything, except a little mistletoe bush which she deemed too young to make such a pledge.

A trickster named Loki discovered this omission, and made an arrow from the mistletoe bush which he gave to Balder's blind brother, Hod. Loki then guided Hod's bow hand and the arrow pierced Balder's heart, killing him.

The distraught and outraged Frigg banished mistletoe to the tree tops. The gods duly brought Balder back to life and Frigg was so overjoyed that she made mistletoe the symbol of love.

Meanwhile the Druids believed that mistletoe fell from heaven and grew onto a tree that sprang from Earth. It therefore signified a connection between heaven and Earth and God's reconciliation with humanity. A kiss under mistletoe thereby symbolized acceptance and reconciliation.

Christmas Ham

The Christmas Ham is again thought to have come from a Norse pagan tradition of yuletide celebration. The sacrifice of a boar in Freyr's honour was hoped to bring his favour for the new year. Freyr was often associated with weather, fertility and agriculture.

Mince Pies and Christmas Pudding

Recipes for Christmas pudding can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The ingredients included poultry, pheasant, partridge and rabbit. Primarily, it was a method for preserving meat. Because of a shortage of fodder, most livestock were slaughtered at the end of a season. Dried fruits were added to the mixture as a preservative and the mixture was kept in pastry cases and the results were called mince pies. Over time, sugar, apples, raisins, candied oranges and lemons were added.

A closer relative to the modern Christmas pudding originated from the porridge, frumenty or pottage in the 14th century. Ingredients included beef, mutton, raisins, currents, spiced wine and mixed spices. These ingredients were slow cooked in a huge cauldron and it was a souplike dish consumed prior to celebrations.

Prunes were added to the recipe during the reign of Elizabeth 1. The dish became so popular, it was known as plum potage. By the18th century meat preservation techniques had improved and the sweet content of mince pies and plum pottage were increased. The addition of flour and suet to create a pudding as we recognise it today, did not appear until the 1830's.

In the next Christmas article, we will uncover the origins of the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus.

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